War and Propaganda: A Look at How the Two Have Been Inseparable Though Time :: Essays Papers

War and Propaganda: A Look at How the Two Have Been Inseparable Though Time There have been many wars that the Unites States has been a part of. Some were fought on American soil, others fought abroad. But through it all, there has always been a need for the public’s support. And what better way to get that support than by putting information out there for the public. Now of course this is biased information that it put forth in front of the general public; just enough to get people caring and thinking about the war, but not enough to keep them fully educated on the subject. Once people start knowing too much and researching, it becomes something that they either feel has too much support, or they take stands that the government does not want. The different media that is out there is geared towards the general public knowing the truth. But I pose the question that â€Å"what is the truth?† especially back in the old days? Who, but those who put the information out, knew what was really going on when it came to wars and the enemies? This is why I thought it might be interesting to look at the way the citizens were swayed towards believing certain things during the war. Why was there such a scare about the Japanese being in the United States during WWII? The propaganda that was out at the time was highly against the Japanese, even the Japanese Americans, calling them the enemy. While it is sad to know that these sentiments are true, it is important to remember the past and to learn from it. History of Propaganda Propaganda has been a human activity as far back as reliable recorded evidence exists. The writings of Romans like Livy are considered masterpieces of pro-Roman statist propaganda. The term itself originates with the Roman Catholic Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, the department of the pontifical administration charged with the spread of Catholicism and with the regulation of ecclesiastical affairs in non-Catholic countries (mission territory). The actual Latin stem propagand- conveys a sense of "that which ought to be spread". Propaganda techniques were first codified and applied in a scientific manner by journalist Walter Lippman and psychologist Edward Bernays (nephew of Sigmund Freud) early in the 20th century. During World War I, Lippman and Bernays were hired by the United States president Woodrow Wilson to sway popular opinion to enter the war on the side of Britain.

Religion, Morality, and the Good Life

Religion, Morality, and the Good Life Does morality depend on religion? Many believe the fundamental aspects of morality and religion join to form the basis on how one chooses to live their life. Some would define morality as a system we humans use to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. Morality could derive from a number of different factors including, religion, culture, and upbringing. Those that believe that morality derives from religion or God’s commands trust in the Divine Command Theory.The Divine Command Theory is the idea that morality is dependent on God; that one’s moral obligation be determined by their obedience to God’s commands. This theory has been and probably will continue to be controversial to many. Morality must have a purely secular foundation. Although religion might not be the concrete basis for morality, it is certain that religion is needed sometime when dealing with specific aspects of morality. There are 2 types of mor ality, justified and unjustified. Justified morality is common sense and does not require intense interpretation.For example, â€Å"Do not steal† is a justified moral command because when one steals they are bringing evil to someone and that is immoral. Unjustified morals are much harder to find reason for than justified morals which can be easily justified by common knowledge. â€Å"Do not have sex before marriage,† is an example of an unjustified morality. It is difficult to explain why doing the act is immoral. This moral standard is irrational in that there is no reasonable answer why one should not do this act in order to remain moral.Religion comes in handy when dealing with grey areas of morality. Those grey areas are known as the unjustified moral commands or unjustified morality. Given the example for an unjustified moral command, one could answer the question â€Å"Why should I not do this in order to remain moral,† by saying it is immoral to have sex before marriage because God commanded us not to because he will punish one who does not follow his commandments. There is no central harm because if this action but one’s self-interest or fear of God’s wrath will keep one from committing this immoral act.The use of God and religion to justify these issues is only useful when dealing with a God-fearing and moral person. Although using religion with morality, in this case, may cause one to agree that morality needs religion and that the Divine Command Theory explains why, it does not justify that religion is the basis for morality. Are right and wrong actions commanded by God? The Divine Command Theory states that good and bad are created by God, not by humans. It has been illustrated that the Divine Command Theory cannot be logically true.The Divine Command Theory states that if God commands â€Å"A,† his commands by itself are sufficient to make â€Å"A† good. â€Å"A is good† just means â€Å"A i s commanded by God. † God’s commands are good simply because God commands it. If there were no God, or if God did not issue any commands, then there would be no such thing as moral right or wrong. However, if actions are good on their own without influence from God, then the Divine Command Theory is false because it is naturally commanded that we do things which are good and avoid those in which we know to be wrong.One’s belief in the existence of a god or gods may cause one to believe that morality assumes God’s existence. Their beliefs seem to give their lives purpose and clear understanding. In Genesis 1:27 it says, â€Å"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. † (NIV) According to Christianity, God created us in his likeness as to fulfill the plan or purpose that he had intended for us. With this idea, the Catholic Church developed the concept of natural law.This natural law concept stated that by working out what one’s purpose is, we will be able to see how we should act and/or behave; it would be apparent in the way in which we have been designed. Within the Catholic Church, the Pope’s condemnation of homosexuality is an example of the natural law theory at work. The natural result to sex is conception, and any other sexual act that is not available to this possibility would be an immoral rejection to the plan God had intended for them. It is obvious that this natural law approach to ethics can cause controversy.It might be perceived as a poor imitation of morality in that it fails to provide justification for many basic moral principles. The supposed link between God and morality provides the idea because God is omnipotent and our creator; we have an obligation to obey his commands. With him being our creator, we owe him our existence. Many ask the obvious question, â€Å"Why do we have this obligation? † Although this view has n ot stood up to reflection, people once believed that children owed the act of obedience to their parents only because children depended on their parents. This view is remarkably similar to the reasoning given for feudalism.In feudalism, in exchange for the protection of the lord, the vassal would give some sort of service to the lord. The obligation between the lord and the vassal regarding the fief or land forms the basis of the feudal relationship. The weakness in this political system was that the vassals never agreed to this plan. By answering the above question in saying that our obligation to obey God’s command is because obedience is morally right, the assumption has been made that morality exists independently of God. Why things are right in the first place is justified and explained by the Divine Command Theory.The Divine Command Theory shows an apparent resemblance to the natural law approach as discussed just before. Rather than focusing on features of his assumed creation as with the natural law theory, the Divine Command Theory implicates a focus on God’s orders. An obvious example of God’s orders would be the Ten Commandments. The most common objection to this approach is that it makes morality seem somewhat subjective. It implies the theoretical likelihood of rape being right simply because God commands this. Some may say that God would never command such an act as rape. God has not, in fact, commanded that rape is good.Assuming that the Divine Command Theory is, in fact, true, it would see God’s goodness in that he will not do anything wrong. But it does not follow that he won’t be unjust or cruel. As long as he is not violating any of his commands, no matter what God does, he will not be doing anything wrong. God is omniscient and morally perfect. Surely this gives us exact reason to why we ought to obey his commands. God’s moral perfection, after all, guarantees that he will issue only those commands that he thinks are right. His overall insight and expertise assures that he will never be wrong in what he believes is right to command of us.It sees God as the highest possible moral guide, giving us reason to always obey his commands. Although this is correct, it does not support the Divine Command Theory. To argue this point is to assume that the greater moral quality is dependent of God’s will, in which the basis for what he commands is. Some thinkers like Immanuel Kant and John Newman, just to name a few, have argued that a sense of conscience is evidence of God. With morality and religion being independent of one another, the independence is considered to be compatible with the existence of God.If we accept that the existence of conscience assumes a being to whom we owe responsibility, God would seem like the only candidate. He is the only person with omnipotent power to see and judge our every action. Newman furthered this thought by asking why people would feel guilty if they did not think they were being watched. In conclusion, there is something wrong with every way of linking morality to religion. I am not claiming that religion cannot have things to say about morality or that it is incapable of helping people do what is morally right.Instead, my claim is that ethics is enhanced with a religiously neutral foundation. Religion can be defined a set of practices independent of a belief system. Religion is the way in which you worship. Some people have participated in religious worship for a while without giving a great deal of thought to a belief system. Morality can be based on religion, but it also can be independent of one’s religion or faith. Although it is possible to hold a religion and not hold to any strong moral principles and vice versa for holding just moral principles, many people hold religious and moral principles.As with Christianity, religion is doing what you are told to do regardless of what is right, and morality is doi ng what is right regardless of what you are told to do. Although morality and religion are used at times to justify one another, they are not dependent of one another. . Works Cited â€Å"Genesis 1 NIV – The Beginning – In the beginning God – Bible †¦ † Bible Gateway. Web. 15 Apr. 2013 . â€Å"The Internet Classics Archive | Euthyphro by Plato. † The Euthyphro. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 18

â€Å"That's not funny,† I said. â€Å"Seems like a reasonable question.† I looked at him and then wrapped my arms around myself. â€Å"Is that all you're going to say?† â€Å"I†¦I don't really know what else to say.† â€Å"This is the part where you yell at me.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"Oh, I see. I didn't know this was already scripted out. â€Å" â€Å"That's not what†¦look. I slept with someone else. And not just slept. I didn't have to do it†¦not the way I have to with humans. You get that, right?† â€Å"Yes,† he said, still dead calm. â€Å"And I wasn't drunk or anything. Tipsy maybe, but still in control of my senses.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"So aren't you mad?† â€Å"Stunned is the dominant emotion at the moment. Finding out someone impersonated you is almost more troubling than the sex part.† â€Å"He didn't impersonate you, perse†¦I mean, I knew it was him.† â€Å"I know. But it's still weird.† When he fell silent again, I could only stare with incredulity. He caught my look and retuned it. â€Å"What do you want?† This time he did sound annoyed, almost angry. â€Å"Do you want me to be mad? Will that like†¦punish you or something? Is that what you want?† I said nothing and realized that was exactly what I wanted. I had read a book once where a guy accidentally killed a girl while driving drunk. His powerful family had managed to keep him out of jail, and he'd hated it. He'd wanted the cleansing catharsis of real punishment, of paying for his crimes. Right now, I needed the same thing. â€Å"I deserve it,† I told Seth. His voice was cold. â€Å"Well, I'm not going to give it to you right now. You can't dictate what I feel. Sorry.† My mouth started to drop open, unsure what to do with this turn of events. The ringing of my cell phone interrupted my rumination. I glanced at my purse, then let the phone go to voice mail. A moment later, it rang again. â€Å"You should answer it,† Seth told me. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I wanted to crawl into a hole. But I got the phone and read the display. No one I recognized. Sometimes that was Jerome. If I didn't answer, the demon was likely to teleport on over, and that was quite possibly the only thing that could make this scenario worse. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said softly to Seth, just before I answered. I didn't know if I was apologizing for the interruption or what I'd done with Bastien. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Hey, Georgina. This is Wyatt.† It took me a moment. From Doug's band. â€Å"Hey, how's it going?† â€Å"Bad. I didn't know who else to call. I'm at the hospital with Doug. â€Å" My heart stopped. â€Å"Oh my God. What happened?† â€Å"He, uh, took some pills.† â€Å"What kind of pills?† â€Å"Not sure. But he took a whole bottle of them.† Wyatt's news spurred Seth and me to action. It was funny how tragedy could override anger. Whatever unresolved issues ensnared us, we put them on hold as I drove us downtown. Wyatt had briefly told the rest of the story as I'd left my apartment at a run. Alec hadn't come through with his latest shipment. Doug had crashed again, plunging into that frightening darkness I'd observed before. Wyatt didn't entirely know what had triggered the overdose. He blamed everything from a suicidal urge to a desperate attempt at recapturing the high through other means. The emergency room had pumped his stomach, and the doctor said he was okay for now, but he hadn't yet regained consciousness. Wyatt had called me because Doug had no family here, and no one knew how to contact the ones who lived out of town. Corey and Min were there when we arrived. They elaborated a bit more for us and said there was no change in Doug's condition. Seth stayed silent, but I could tell he was as concerned as I was. I asked if I could see Doug, and a nurse told me I could. I entered the room alone and found him asleep, hooked up to tubes and a bleeping machine. I had watched medical technology change over the years, from leeches to defibrillators, but that didn't mean I felt comfortable with any of it. Machines that kept people alive rubbed me the wrong way. They weren't natural, even if they did good. â€Å"Oh, Doug,† I murmured, sitting at his bedside. His skin was pale, his hand cold and clammy. The bleeping machine registered a steady heartbeat, so that was something. None of the other readouts meant anything to me. I watched him, feeling helpless. Mortals, I thought, were fragile things, and there was nothing I could do about that. Many, many years ago, Bastien and I had worked at a dance hall in Paris. Dancers in those days were almost always prostitutes too, but I hadn't minded. The opportunity had provided me with both succubus energy and monetary income. Bastien had been a bouncer and ostensibly my lover. This allowed him to sing my praises, bolstering my reputation and sending me a large clientele. â€Å"There's a young man who shows up every night,† the incubus told me one day. â€Å"He has ‘virgin' stamped all over him, but he's rich too. I've talked to him a few times. He doesn't like the idea of paying for sex, but he's completely obsessed with you.† The news pleased me, and when Bastien pointed out the gentleman, I made a lot of eye contact with him throughout the performance. Sure enough, a manservant of his discretely solicited me on behalf of his employer afterward, and I hurried to prepare myself backstage. â€Å"Josephine,† called a voice beside me. I turned and saw another dancer, an especial friend of mine named Dominique. â€Å"Hey,† I told her, grinning. â€Å"I have a nice prospect I've got to get to.† Her grim face made me pause. â€Å"What's wrong?† Dominique was small and blond, with an almost waifish appearance that made her look like she wasn't getting enough to eat. That wasn't a surprise, however. None of us in that profession ever got enough to eat. â€Å"Josephine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she murmured, blue eyes wide. â€Å"I need your help. I think†¦I think I'm pregnant.† I stopped in my tracks. â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Pretty sure. I†¦I don't know what to do. I need this job. You know I do.† I nodded. From the wings, Jean – the man who took cuts from our liaisons – yelled at me to hurry up and meet my young man. I gave Dominique a quick hug. â€Å"I have to go do this. I'll find you later, okay? We'll figure something out.† But I never really got a later. The young man, Etienne, proved to be adorable. He was much younger than my apparent age, and engaged to be married. He was torn on the issue of sex. Part of him felt he needed to be pure for his bride; the other part wanted to be experienced on his wedding night. That was the part that won out, the part that brought him to my bed and gave me the succubus bonus of both a moral corruption and an energy yield. He resented me for both my lifestyle and my hold over him, but that didn't stop him from coming back every day for the next few weeks. â€Å"I hate you for this,† he told me one day after we'd been together. He lay back against the sheets, in a sweaty, postcoital repose. I stood near the bed, putting my clothes on while he watched. â€Å"Marry me.† I laughed out loud, tossing my hair – then honey blond and curly – over one shoulder. He flushed angrily. He had dark eyes and hair and a perennially brooding look. â€Å"Is that funny?† â€Å"Only because you hate me in one breath and love me in the other.† I smiled as I laced up my undergarments. â€Å"I suppose there are a lot of marriages like that.† â€Å"Not everything's a joke,† he said. â€Å"Maybe not,† I agreed. â€Å"But this comes pretty close.† â€Å"Are you turning me down?† I pulled my dress over my head. â€Å"Of course I am. You have no idea what you're asking. It's ridiculous.† â€Å"You treat me like I'm a child sometimes,† he declared, sitting up straighten â€Å"You're not that much older than me. You have no right to act so wise†¦especially since you're a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I grinned at him. â€Å"A whore?† He had the grace to look embarrassed. â€Å"And that, sweeting, is the problem. Never mind your family's scandalized reaction. Even if we managed to pull it off, you'd never get over that. You'd spend the rest of our marriage – which would probably be short-lived – obsessing about all the men I'd been with. Wondering if one of them had been better. Wondering if I'd done something with them that you thought was new and novel with you.† Angry, he stood up and pulled on his pants. â€Å"I would have thought you'd be grateful.† â€Å"Flattered,† I said coldly, â€Å"but nothing more.† That wasn't entirely true. The truth was, despite his youthful certainty and mood swings, I liked Etienne. A lot. Something about him appealed to me. Maybe it was because all that emotionality and pride came from an artistic nature. He painted as a hobby. There it was again, my unfortunate obsession with creative men. Luckily, at that time in my life, I had enough sense to avoid deep entanglements with humans. â€Å"I wish you could choose who you love,† he said bitterly. â€Å"Because I wouldn't choose you, you know. But, here we are. I can't stop thinking about you. I feel like there's some pull to you I can't fight.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said gently, surprised at the small ache in my heart. â€Å"Wait until you're married. Your wife will make you forget all about me.† â€Å"No. She doesn't even compare.† â€Å"Plain?† Egotistical of me, perhaps, but I heard it a lot. â€Å"Boring,† he replied. Then I'd heard a scream, a bloodcurdling, horror-filled scream. I forgot all about Etienne and tore out of the small, dank room. Down the hall I ran until I found a congregation of people and the source of distress. It was Dominique. She sprawled over a narrow pallet, lying in blood. â€Å"My God,† I gasped, kneeling beside her. â€Å"What happened?† But I already knew. I didn't need the forthcoming explanation from the other dancers. I had neglected her pleas for help a couple weeks ago, caught up in my own whirlwind romance. So she had sought her own solution, as so many lower-class women often did. Unfortunately, there were no machines or sanitizing in those days. An abortion was a dangerous, often deadly, business. â€Å"Oh God,† I said again. I had never lost the need to appeal to my creator, despite my theoretical renouncement. I clutched her hand, not knowing what to do. A half-dressed Etienne appeared in the crowd. I looked up at him desperately. â€Å"You have to go get a doctor. Please.† Whatever injured pride he harbored over my rejection, he couldn't refuse me in that moment. I saw him make motions to leave, but Bastien grabbed his arm. â€Å"No, it doesn't matter.† To me he said: â€Å"She's gone, Fleur .† I looked at Dominique's young face. Her skin was pale, eyes blank and glazed over as they stared at nothing. I knew I should close them, but suddenly I didn't want to touch her. I dropped her hand, slowly backing up, staring in horror. It was by no means the first time I'd seen a dead body, but something struck me about it then I'd never really considered with such shocking clarity. One moment she was here, the next she wasn't. Oh, the difference one heartbeat could make. The stink of mortality hung in the air, painting the awful truth about humans. How short their lives were. And fragile. They were like paper dolls among us, turning to ash in the blink of an eye. How many had I seen come and go in over a millennium? How many had I seen pass from infancy to a gray-haired death? The stink of mortality. It threatened to overwhelm the room. How could no one else sense it? I hated it†¦and I feared it. Feeling suffocated, I backed up further. Both Bastien and Etienne reached for me in some fumbling attempt at comfort, but I wanted none of it. Dominique, barely out of childhood, had just bled her life away in front of me. What fragile things humans were. I had to get out of there before I became sick. I turned from those who would console me and ran away. â€Å"What fragile things humans are,† I murmured to Doug. The feeling that welled up within me now as I sat beside him was not sorrow or despair. It was anger. White-hot anger. Humans were fragile, but some of them were still in my care. And whether that was foolish or not on my part, I could not shirk my duty. Doug was one of my humans. And someone had nearly cut his time short. I stood up, gave his hand a last squeeze, and strode out of the room. From the shocked glances Corey, Min, and Wyatt gave me, I must have looked terrifying. I hit the pause button on my righteous fury when I noticed something. â€Å"Where's Seth?† â€Å"He said he had to go,† said Corey. â€Å"He left you this.† He handed me a scrap of paper with Seth's scrawled writing. Thetis, I'll talk to you later. I stared at it, suddenly feeling nothing. I went numb. My mind would not allow me to focus on Seth just then. I crumpled the paper up, said good-bye to the band, and left the hospital. When I reached the lobby, I took out my cell phone and dialed. â€Å"Alec? This is Georgina.† â€Å"Hey, Georgina!† I heard the anxious note in his voice. Almost desperate. â€Å"You were right,† I began, hoping I sounded anxious too. â€Å"You were right. I need more. Now. Tonight. Can you do it?† â€Å"Yes,† he said. There was palpable relief in his voice. â€Å"Absolutely I can do it.† We set up a meeting spot immediately. It couldn't be too soon for me. I'd been on an emotional roller coaster in the last twenty-four hours, and I was about to take it out on Alec. I couldn't wait. The fact that he seemed so eager for it was icing on the cake. â€Å"Oh, hey, Georgina?† he asked, just before we disconnected. â€Å"Yeah?† His voice sounded strange; I couldn't decipher the emotion. â€Å"You have no idea how glad I am you called.†

Beneatha Younger

Beneatha Younger, an important character in A Raisin In The Sun , values good people. She does not think   of herself as black, she thinks of herself as an American human. She knows George Murchison and Mama and Ruth want tem to get married. He's a black American as well, but sees absolutely no reason to honor their African heritage. George sees himself as an American first and foremost and thinks that blacks who spend a lot of time worrying about Africa are wasting their time.Unsurprisingly, Beneatha seems to not be into George at all. Then after a strange turn of events she starts to love Joeseph Asagai and wants to learn about Africa. Benetha values a great education. She is aspiring to be a doctor an is attending college. College education has helped to make her progressive, independent, and a total feminist. She brings politics into the apartment and always talks about civil rights. During this play, she fights with her identity as an African-American woman.Asagai criticizes h er, saying that she's â€Å"assimilated,† meaning that she tries to hide her African-ness by acting white. He uses her hair as an example. Asagai can't understand why she and most other black women in America straighten their hair instead of leaving it naturally curly. Unlike the rest of her family, Beneatha looks beyond her immediate situation in an effort to understand herself as a member of a greater whole. As she becomes more educated, it becomes increasingly hard for Beneatha to relate to the rest of her family.Sometimes she can be a bit condescending and seems to forget that her family members (especially her mother) all work very hard to help put her through school. However, this character flaw only serves to make her seem all the more understandable and human. Ultimately, Beneatha is a kind and generous person, who seeks to become a doctor out of a desire to help people. In conclusion, Beneatha Younger, a main character in A Raisin In The Sun values many things. She v alues good people , good education and Independence.

Paul Kennedys arguments on the rise and fall of great powers Essay

In the world’s history, the face of the earth has witnessed power supremacy between various countries and states. All along from the Spanish rein in their days on the sun, the Britain, France and now the US. All this scenes on the globe have a significant impact on the relative powers on the either side. The outstanding issue is not the power but forces behind that power rise, sustainability and its fall. Therefore this essay shall examine the ways of measuring this power sustainability according to the Paul Kennedy’s perspective in his argument on the rise and fall of major world powers. Introduction  Professor Paul Kennedy argues about how predictable and determinable is the raising and declining of the major powers in his book entitled: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000. In this book he presents the parameters which are used to measure the prospects and indicators of rising and decline of world’s major power. Furthermore, arguments are presented together with empirical studies of the major world powers, which encompass both political and economical dimensions of the Great Powers. This studies rates and discusses the rise and their fall from 1500 to 1980. Additionally, apart from exclusively discussion their rise and fall, his argument goes beyond the prevalent conditions and projects the future of the US, Japan, China, European Economic Commission and USSR. The core of the Kennedy’s argument is that the strength of a power of a nation or a state can only be measured relative to the other existing powers . In this connection, the fundamental issue that he uses as a scale is the fact that major powers rising, falling and their sustainability entirely depend on the available resources and economic durability and military strength relative to its requirements for prospering. Therefore, the argument for measuring the decline or prosperity of a given world power is through military power and its inputs and the economic and productive power. The two measuring devices employed by Professor Paul Kennedy 20 year earlier are the central base for this essay paper. Through use of military and economic propensity this essay shall examine the major world powers their rise and decline. Also related to the Kennedy’s argument is the prediction of the decline of the USSR and US as a major world power or super power , while prediction of gradual but steady raise of china as a major power. The central thesis of Paul Kennedy is that the power of a state needs to be maintained and sustained. Therefore the more the power of a state increases, the more resources shall be needed to maintain. The maintenance of a power should be balance between both in military and economic power . But when more state resources are devoted towards maintaining military power in long term it weakens the power and directs it to the path of decline. While when productivity economy slightly overweighs military expenditure the power is stable and can be maintained. Therefore the key driver of the power of a state entirely relies on the economic component of the power. Thus the main argument is; power can only be maintained by a prudent balance between the creation of wealth and military expenditure. Therefore the essay shall closely look at this argument that emphasizes on the power measuring parameter using the balance between wealthy creation and military expenditure. In order to do this effectively the essay shall evaluate how reliable and valid is the argument basing on the major historical world powers; especially the Germany, France, US, Moguls of India, Ottoman Empire, USSR, China, Japan and Great Britain. Measures for rise and fall of a great power state The countries in this regard power can only be measured and gauged with each other only when their military mighty sustainability costs balances with their economic production or wealth creation through investments or production of gods and services. 0 years earlier Paul Kennedy researched, wrote and interpreted the major world power how they rose over the years into their day on sun and the dark side of their power into decline. Therefore at this point it is worthy to examine how relevant are the two measuring parameter and how realistic are they to today’s reality on our globe, traced from the past and extrapolated into the future. Economic and productive power The key driver of the power of a state entirely relies on the economic component of the power in terms of its productivity. This is because as the government running, planning and execution of the plans depends on the engine of the economy. Most evident is that, British financial strength was the single most decisive factor in its victories over France during the 19th century. Therefore in this argument Professor Kennedy argues that it is possible to detect the rise and fall of different powers in the world by looking at the economic indices. In this regard economic power dictates the power prosperity. For instance the economic dimension is important to maintain the military mighty. In this connection, economic production should overweigh or balance the expenditure to the military sector. For example Spain, Britain, France and Netherlands military expenditure overweighed their economic production that has lead to their declines since then. Addition to that, we can agree today that during the entire 19th to early 20th century the Great Britain was the fore front in the entire world as a great power. The reason for its being on the fore front was the fact that industrial revolution placed it on that position. This is can be empirically evident that Britain per capita grew from 10, 16, 25, 64, 87 and 100 in 1750, 1800, 1830, 1860, 1880, and 1900 respectively. At this time France which was a relative competitor for this great power had its per capita from 9, 9, 12, 20, 28 and 39 in 1750, 1800, 1830, 1860,1880 and 1900 respectively . Therefore gauging at these two difference in the production of the in terms of industrial per capita, it implies that the UK had an upper hand even in financing its major military operations than France therefore can maintain the slot of being major power on the globe . Another indicator that is used to measure the rising and declining power under the economic and productive power; is the relative share of the worlds manufacturing outputs. In this respect, great power states manufacturing output can really determine the peaks and troughs of power. For example UK’s output is1. 9 percent in 1750, then in 1860 it was at 19. 9 percent, and 22. 9 percent in the year 1880. While china’s starts at an index of 32. 8% in 1750 and declines to19. % in 1860, after the Taiping Rebellion and Opium Wars ; then declines further to 12. 5% in 1880. The two combinations give an insight of the power that is capable financially so that it can be able to run its functions effectively. In this light, statistics of war time indicates that during its reign Britain was capable to maintain its war expenditures effectively. Thus in 1688 to 1815 the total wartime expenses were ? 2,293,483,437 , Britain income was pitched at  Ã‚ £ 1,622,924,377. Thus it only had a balance of  £ 670,559,060. But from 1890s the US economy overtook that of Britain and Germany to become the world super power together with other political factors . Thirdly the measures can be in today’s economic environment through the use of the states share of the total world GDP which is a round $45 to $50 trillion. At this juncture Kennedy’s argument predicts the decline of the US as a world super power. Since the share of the US in the world GDP ever declining since 1945 when it over took from Britain. In fact China is a major threat to the US as a world great power. To this effect the statistics indicates that China’s total GDP will be higher than that of the US by 2025, if the trading systems are not interfered with by natural calamities or human caused activities. Military power Military power is necessary to safeguard the overall power and the economic power of the state. Military power is the symbol of real and hard power. All great powers that rose in the face of the earth had a relatively stronger military power that enabled the m defeat major battles and wars. For instance the Germany, France, Britain, Spain and Soviet Union . But that one does not exempt the central thesis of the discussion; power sustainability can only be achieved through a balance between the wealth creation and the military expenditure that do not over stretch the economy of the state. In this regard at the beginning of the 16th century, Spain was the worlds and European great power with excellent armed forces . This made it powerful. But the argument is the measure for this power sustainability; that makes it relative to either prevail or decline. Therefore fort the Spain’s case, this excellent army required sustenance from economic resources. Which were over spent on a higher scale from Spain’s mismanaged resources, deficit budgeting and inflation. Hence in the long run it declined as a major power. The French also saw the same way as Spain at end of the 17th. Whereby France mismanaged its economic resources that was largely used for supporting an increasingly expensive regular armed forces until the period of the American Revolutionary that led to the French Revolution making this expenditures too huge for the economy top support that ended in a bankruptcy ; hence its decline. Britain on the other hand had to have a loan to finance its military campaigns, making it use more of the resources than what it creates as economical input. On the other hand the on his prediction for decline of the US as a major world power in terms of it’s overstretch on the military expenditures, it is evident that US is spending too much on the military. For instance nuclear full-fleet carrier of the US navy that is 20 storey high, that displaces105, 000 tonnes of water. This total expenditure for construction is about $28 billion , which is greatest budget ever in the world’s history. In general, US defense budget only accounts for just over half of total defense expenditure in the world. This together with other reasons makes US ever crisis as a super power. Conclusion The argument of Kennedy Paul about the rise and fall of the world’s greatest powers over human history is to a great extend valid. However it is not 100% accurate and any where in this universe it can not happen. Basing on his central thesis of the argument that; the power measuring parameter using the balance between wealthy creation and military expenditure. The essay has explored these measuring devises used by professor Paul indeed there is some validity in this claims. For instance, china over currently has concentrated on the wealth creation by production and controlled minimal military expenditure: has seen to pose a threat to US supremacy. Therefore whenever the governance system fails to balance there scorecards between the economic output and inputs to sustain military force activities the decline shall be knocking at the door. Whereas the reverse is true.

Banksy

Who is Banksy? That is what everybody has been asking each other for the last couple of years. Although he is quite famous nobody knows much about him. All we know is his real name might be Robert Banks or Robin Gunningham and he was born in Bristol, but what we do know Banksy is an anonymous England based graffiti artist, film director and painter. He is known for his sarcastic street art and subversive fun combine cheekiness with dark humor with graffiti done in a distinctive stenciling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. Banksy's work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved teamwork between artists and musicians. According to wall and piece book, banksy was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s. People have different perceptions on what art should be. People often use art as a tool, which helps people express there point of view on life and art has different categories that range from looking at a tree in the bush in depth to a famous piece of painting in the museum or Art gallery. Banksy defines art as something that should be looked at in depth so the person that is looking at the art should look at it longer and in more detail. In the book Wall and Piece book by Banksy artist quotes he is quoted interpreting art as â€Å"The holy grail is to spend less time making the picture than it takes people to look at it. Banksy thinks Art is an amazing way for individuals to express themselves, and people always link it to controversy. Art can be for a person’s individual desire, motivation, or hobby, but it can also be a political message or inspiration for an entire world. A lot of famous artist use there own techniques, styles, and structures in order to implement there ideas into a form of art. An secretive artist from England by the name of Banksy is famous through his notorious and unique forms of art, usually graffiti art, and has inspired many people around the world. They call his work Monkey Parliament is incredible because it is addressing many political issues and creates a different perspective of the world. Although many people have diverse definitions of art, several believe that controversial art is brilliant due to the fact that it portrays symbols that often cannot be expressed in words and exposes a message that can inspire an individual or an entire world in many ways. Is Banksy's work art or vandalism? define:vandalism The willful or malicious destruction, injury, disfigurement, or defacement of any public or private property, real or personal, without consent of the owner or person having control. define:art uman endeavor thought to be aesthetic and have meaning beyond simple description. Includes music, dance, sculpture, painting, drawing, stitchery, weaving, poetry, writing, woodworking, etc. A medium of expression where the individual and culture come together. Based on these two definitions Bansky's work is both art and vandalism. The problem with street art as I see it is that those who mainly consider it vandalism doesn't recognize it as art whereas those who mainly think of it as art more often can recognize it as vandalism as well. I think Banksy does some good for this problem since his pieces often are so thought provoking and technically good. How does Banksy make money while keeping his identity hidden? Banksy has friends that ARE willing to keep his identity secret, they find art dealers that are also willing to trust that the banksy art is the real deal. money to the dealer, from the dealer to the friend. There is no real definition for what is beautiful or appealing to the human eye. Banksy is said to be an artist by some and a graffiti lawbreaker by others. Basically, it is up to the person to define Banksy as someone who is doing the right thing verses doing the wrong thing. Banksy creates his graffiti pictures to make a stand for what he believes is the right way to look at controversial issues. Some people may not like Banksy’s graffiti because they do not have the same views as him. Some people might not like it because graffiti is vandalism and they see no art in vandalism. People who dislike his stencil graffiti art consider Banksy a lawbreaker. I personally believe that Banksy is a unique artist that will make a statement with his art, all the while

The environmental crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The environmental crisis - Essay Example A careful examination of Jewish and Buddhist environmental sources and activism suggest that from the beginning, religion has been linked to environmental protection. Textual, ethical, legal, and philosophical sources Buddha’s life illustrates how much Buddha loved nature. To begin with, Buddha was born in Nepal a place of natural beauty. He was born in a forest further emphasizing the Buddhist appreciation of nature. Buddha preached his first Dhammacakkapabattansutta in the Deer park and passed away at Sala forest of Malla at Kushinara. This shows the initial attachments of Buddhists to nature. According to Donald K. Swearer, in Buddhism, "not unlike the biological sciences, rebirth links human and animal species,† meaning there is a link between humans and animals. The Buddhists believe in a certain interconnectedness in nature that, "The health of the whole is inseparably linked to the health of the parts, and the health of the parts is inseparably linked to the healt h of the whole† (Gottlieb 102). Similarly, some of the Buddha-nature found in china including trees, streams, rocks and lotuses are part of a continuous ecosystem. The power of nature in the Buddha religion forms the real basis of the religion. First, because the Buddha spent six years in the forest meditating and Buddhist followers often retreat to nature hence they have a powerful ethical foundation to support a healthy eco system and â€Å"green† lifestyle. In one of the Buddhist sources, the relationship between a tree and a human being is described as follows, â€Å"the tree indeed is the bearer of the flower and the fruit†¦ the tree gives the shade to all people who come near†¦ the tree does not give shade differently. (Milindapanha, VI, 409 – â€Å"rukkho nama pupphaphaladharo†¦rukkho upagatanamanuppavitthanam jananam chayam deti†¦, rukkho chayavemattam na karoti†). These characteristics show that the relationship between human beings and nature should be mutual. These Buddhist sources reinforce tucker’s claim of religion entering an ecological phase because aspects of environmental protection are well- grounded into the religious beliefs and practices of the Buddhists (Tucker 93). Various Jewish sources also front religion and its impact on environment. According to defenders of Jewish environmental ethics, there are three main areas of environmental usefulness in the bible and other rabbinic literature. These include the protection of vegetation, the aspect of predicting the well-being of the earth and awareness of the distress of animals. Jewish tradition forbids inflicting unnecessary pain to animals and the Torah includes a vegetarian diet for Adam and Eve. Respecting the environment is part of the Jewish religion. Jewish commentator, Jonathan Helfand writes that God told man to subdue the earth but the spirit of Judaism negates the notion that the earth is entirely man’s dominion. He co ntinues that as part of the divine plan man is obligated to respect both the animate and inanimate occupants of the world (Benstein 46). The Jewish hold that the environment has certain inalienable rights endowed to it by the creator that can be dismissed or violated. Jewish writer Jeremy Cohen states that a responsible interaction with the environment is the deepest personal and spiritual fulfillment. He adds that environmental irresponsibility results in spiritual demise. Rabbinic ethos encourages human beings to be